The England player is said to be concerned for his family’s well-being as British media reported a home robbery.
England’s Raheem Sterling leaves the World Cup in Qatar and returns to Britain to be with his family amid media reports that intruders have broken into his home.
The 27-year-old striker, who has 81 caps for England, was left out of the squad for Sunday night’s game against Senegal, in which England won 3-0 and secured a place in the World Cup quarter-finals against France.
Sterling was said to be shocked and concerned for the well-being of his children after “armed intruders broke into his home while his family was inside,” Britain’s PA news agency reported on Monday.
“I spent some time with him today. He will fly home. And of course family is the most important thing at these moments,” England manager Gareth Southgate told reporters in Qatar on Sunday night when asked about reports of a home break-in.
“So we want to give him that space. And we’ll see how that all plays out over the next few days,” Southgate said.
“He’s on his way home and, yes, of course we’re keeping in mind that he has space and [having] Privacy respected, so let’s not go into too much detail,” he said.
The England manager did not provide details on the incident, saying it was a private matter for Sterling and would not say if he would return to the squad in Qatar.
The English Football Association said Sterling was unavailable for the Senegal game for “personal reasons” and the England team’s Twitter account said he had been sidelined as he was “dealing with a family matter”.
Raheem Sterling is not available for selection #ThreeLions tonight as he deals with a family matter. pic.twitter.com/CR6cU8J0wE
— England (@England) December 4, 2022
Support for the England international flooded social media, with former England player and TV presenter Gary Lineker saying he was thinking of Sterling and his family “after their terrible and harrowing ordeal”.
thoughts are with @Sterling7 and his family following their horrific and harrowing ordeal.
— Gary Lineker 💙💛 (@GaryLineker) December 4, 2022
It was unclear if Sterling would return to the England team in Qatar.
“Obviously it’s not ideal for the group preparing for a game, but the individual is more important than the group in those moments,” Southgate told reporters.
England captain Harry Kane, who scored the second goal of the game against Senegal, said the team wished Sterling well and hoped to see him again “as soon as possible”.
“It’s never easy to see that one of your teammates and friends has to deal with something like this,” Kane said.
“So we have to take it day by day, I’m sure Raheem will speak to the manager and make the best decision for him and his family, that’s the most important thing,” he said.
“From us as a team we send our best to him and hope to see him as soon as possible.”